U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,404 to Yolton et al., which is assigned to the assignee of the subject application, discloses a method of atomizing a titanium-based material. In this method, titanium is arc melted in a water-cooled copper crucible provided with a rupture disc. A layer or skull of solidified titanium forms adjacent to the interior of the water-cooled crucible. This skull prevents the molten titanium-based material, which is highly reactive, from being contaminated by the interior of the crucible. To pour the molten titanium-based material from the crucible, the electrode is moved closer to the pool of molten titanium-based material so as to melt through the skull and the rupture disc. The molten titanium-based material flows into a tundish provided at the bottom of the crucible. The tundish has an opening in which a nozzle having a refractory metal interior is disposed. The molten titanium-based material forms a free-falling stream as it flows through the nozzle. The free-falling stream of molten titanium-based material is atomized by an inert gas jet issuing from an annular orifice. The atomized titanium particles are collected in a canister disposed at the base of the cooling chamber.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for atomizing a titanium-based material that is capable of producing larger quantities of titanium powder.
Additional objects and advantages will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.